Elastic construction



y 0, 1969 w. L. CHALFIN ET AL 3,444,562

ELASTIC CONSTRUCTION Filed June 18. 1965 FIG.4

INVENTORS Wjlliam L.Chalfin Edward Christopher Garvey /ZVHVMW ATTORNEY United States Patent Q 3,444,562 ELASTIC CONSTRUCTION William L. Chalfin, 1435 E. 101st St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11236, and Edward Christopher Garvey, Massapequa, N.Y.; said Garvey assignor to said Chalfiu Filed June 18, 1965, Ser. No. 464,951 Int. Cl. A41f 1/00, 1/04, 1/08 U.S. Cl. 2338 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention provides an elastic construction and more particularly an elastic construction in which there is an inset having a greater degree of elasticity than the remaining structure.

In articles requiring an elastic section it has been the practice to secure an elastic inset to the sides of a window cut out for this purpose. Many items of wearing apparel are normally constructed in this manner. For example, the waistbands of slacks and girdles, as well as the diaphragm bands of brassieres are often provided with elastic inserts to insure a snug fit and offer slimming control. Other articles in which such insets are frequently found include fitted sheets and slipcovers. The ordinary stitching method of attaching the insets to the rest of the garment is rather a tricky and time-consuming operation. Also the stitching is often the subject of tearing due to the stress put on it by the pull of the elastic.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an elastic construction which will overcome the foregoing drawbacks.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an elastic construction which will be adaptable to a variety of articles.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an elastic construction which will be simple to apply and inexpensive to manufacture.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the present inventon; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one application of the present invention.

Basically, the elastic construction has a body portionwith a longitudinal edge. A window is cut in from and includes the longitudinal edge. A band of material which has a greater degree of elasticity than the body portion is secured to the body portion so that it lies over both the body portion and the window. The elasticity of the band becomes restricted by being secured to the body portion except in the area of the Window where it is free to extend.

The construction may be a separate entity or it may be an edge of an article. It is preferable that the body portion be formed of a top and bottom ply of material layered together between which the band may be secured.

3,444,562 Patented May 20, 1969 These material plies could be individual pieces of material or a single width of material folded at its longitudinal edge. In certain applications, it may be more convenient to make the body portion of a single ply of material.

The band may be secured to the body portion in any convenient manner as, for example, by stitching. A particularly convenient method, however, involves the use of materials which have thermoplastic characteristics. In this case, the band is easily secured to the body portion by the applicaton of heat and pressure to effect a heat-seal and no stitching operation is required.

Referring now to the drawing, one embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A top ply 10 is layered with a bottom ply 12, to form a body portion 14 with a longitudinal edge 16. The two plies 10 and 12 are made of a material having thermoplastic characteristics on their facing surfaces and are of substantially identical dimensions. The top 10 and bottom 12 plies may be made of a single width of material folded at the longitudinal edge 16, as shown in FIG. 2, instead of two separate lengths of material. The thermoplastic quality may be had by fusing a film of polyethylene terephthalate onto cloth.

A window 18 is formed in the body portion 14 by cutting out a section in the top ply 10 in registry with a similar cut-out in the bottom ply 12. The window 18 is cut in from and includes a portion of the longitudinal edge 16.

A band 20 of thermoplastic material is heat-sealed between the material plies 10 and 12 and passes through the window 18. The band 20 is made from a preferably continuous length of material which has a greater degree of elasticity than that of the material plies. The band 20 may be of a width to coincide with the depth of the window as illustrated. A band of elastic fibers woven with recurrent openings is particularly satisfactory since it offers some ventilation. Bands of wider or narrower widths may be used depending upon the ultimate use to which the elastic construction is to be put.

The material plies 10 and 12 may be made of nonstretch or semi-stretch material. The greater elasticity of the band 20 is restricted in the body portion 14 where it is sealed to the less elastic material of the plies 10 and 12. However, in the area of the window 18, the elastic band 20 is free to stretch. The resultant construction provides a body portion with an inset of greater elasticity. Of course, the number and size of the insets, as well as their placement, may be varied according to the use contemplated.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3 where the band is composed of a plurality of elastic strips 24 spaced from and parallel to each other. The band is interposed between the two plies of material which form the body portion 26 in the same manner as the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, and is passed through a window 28 cut in from the longitudinal edge 30 of the body portion 26. An edging 32 of zigzag stitching may be used to finish off the edges of the window 28. This embodiment oifers a lighter construction and appearance than the earlier described variation. It also has open spaces between the strips 24 for ventilation.

The elastic constructions of either embodiment are ready for application. They may be utilized, as they are, as waistbands, diaphragm bands, or in other locations where elastic insets are required. It is also possible to form the elastic construction where the edge of a garment, or other article, acts as the body portion. This is shown in FIG. 4 where the elastic construction has been employed as the leg band of a girdle. The longitudinal edge 36 is at the lower edge of the garment. A window 38 is cut out from the body portion 40. A band 42 of thermoplastic material which has a greater degree of elasticity than the material plies which form the body portion 40 is sandwiched between the plies and is passed through the window 38. The band 42 has a width less than the depth of the window 38 to leave a slot 44. A garter 46 is attached under the body portion 40 in the area over the window 38 and is pulled through the slot 44 to rest on the band 42. The band thus acts to protect the leg from any irritation that may be caused by the back of the garter. The slot 44 also offers an opening for ventilation.

It may be seen, then, that the present invention provides an elastic construction which has insets with an elasticity greater than the remaining structure. The insets are automatically formed by fusing an elastic band between plies of less elastic material which have windows cut in them. The insets, therefore, do not have to be individually applied. The elastic construction is a unitary device, ready for application to garments and other articles.

What is claimed is:

1. An elastic construction comprising a top and a bottom ply of material, said plies being layered to form a body portion, said body portion having an outer longitudinal edge, a window cut in from said edge and including a portion of said edge, said window being cut through both plies of material, and a band of material having a greater degree of elasticity than the material plies, said band being secured to said body portion between said plies and passing across said window thereby to provide an elastic construction having an elastic inset which is exposed through said window on both sides.

2. An elastic construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said plies have thermoplastic characteristics on their facing surfaces and wherein said band is formed of thermoplastic material, said band being heat-sealed between said material plies.

3. An elastic construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said band of material comprises a plurality of elastic strips spaced from and parallel to each other.

4. An elastic construction as set forth in claim 1 wherein said band has a width less than the depth of said window thereby defining a slot whereby a garter may be attached under said body portion and be pulled through the slot to rest on said band to protect against irritability by the garter.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,587 3/1896 Shauer 2-257 1,156,487 10/1915 Kunstadter 2-197 X 1,512,316 10/ 1924 Sherman 2197 1,777,865 10/1930 Smith 2314 1,812,593 6/1931 Karberg 2-237 2,128,876 8/1938 Boysen 2237 2,569,853 10/1951 Grue 2-237 3,090,048 5/1963 Loew 2338 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

G. V. LARKIN, Assistant Examiner. 

